Ryan Keen

Born in the rural Devonshire town of Totnes, British singer/songwriter Ryan Keen developed a warm, acoustic style that drew immediate comparisons to contemporaries Ben Howard and Ed Sheeran. He first explored other areas of the music business, enrolling at Westminster University for a degree in Commercial Music. During his final year, however, the sudden death of a close friend and fellow student profoundly affected him and ultimately prompted him to start writing songs. Keen then teamed up with producer Josh Friend of Modestep, self-releasing an EP in early 2010. Later that year he won a competition that secured him a slot at the 2011 SXSW industry showcase in Texas. In 2012 he received an invitation to tour with up-and-coming songwriter Ed Sheeran, yet he suffered a severe setback when he severed tendons in his right hand just before the dates. Working closely with his physiotherapist, he created a custom cast that enabled him to play guitar and, remarkably, he finished the entire tour. Through persistent rehabilitation he regained full mobility in the injured hand, after which he dueted with Newton Faulkner, supported Leona Lewis at the Royal Albert Hall, and mounted a nationwide headline tour in 2012. His self-funded and self-recorded debut album, Room for Light, was released in 2013.